Life’s a Zoo

Varanasi is a zoo in a zoo. There are cows acting like dogs, dogs fighting monkeys on rooftops, monkeys acting like rats, goats wearing clothes, men have faces like elephants, and on and on. Dogs sleep on piles of ashes — human or garbage — because they like the warmth. There are devastating cases of mange. Many puppies are starving although mothers look like they are carrying so much milk they are going to explode. Cows wear necklaces and steal fruit from street vendors or simply tear into “leftovers” in plastic bags. Yesterday I saw a dog on a roof. It was fighting with monkeys. Or playing. I’m not entirely sure. It seemed slightly out of the norm given how many locals stopped to watch and were laughing, and encouraging me to take photos. I also saw a dog lift his leg and pee on a woman’s sari. She didn’t even notice. Here are a few photos to give you an idea…

If you are curious about the guy with the elephant face, click here for a photo, but I must warn you it is fairly disturbing, so you may not want to look. I walk past him everyday but feel inappropriate taking a picture. He sits in front of a little statue of Ganesh, the elephant god of fortune. As I was told yesterday, I’d see all different variations of humanity in Varanasi and that couldn’t be more right.

Advertisement